Over 90% of bottled water contains microplastics; WHO issues alarm

A new analysis by a group of scientists has found that more than 90% of the world’s most popular bottled water brands contained tiny pieces of plastic. The shocking revelation has prompted the World Health Organisation (WHO) to announce a review into the potential risks of plastic in drinking water.

Analysis of 259 bottles from 19 locations in nine countries including India across 11 different brands found an average of 325 plastic particles for every litre of water being sold. Concentrations were as high as 10,000 plastic pieces for every litre of water. Of the 259 bottles tested, only 17 were free of plastics, according to the study.

Scientists based at the State University of New York in Fredonia were commissioned by journalism project Orb Media to analyse the bottled water. The scientists wrote they had “found roughly twice as many plastic particles within bottled water” compared with their previous study of tap water.

According to the new study, the most common type of plastic fragment found was polypropylene – the same type of plastic used to make bottle caps. The bottles analysed were bought in the US, China, Brazil, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Lebanon, Kenya and Thailand.

Scientists used Nile red dye to fluoresce particles in the water – the dye tends to stick to the surface of plastics but not most natural materials.